The Time Lord Who Fell in Love
by Jstar-and-Astar
Summary: Takes place toward the end of The Girl Who Waited. Amy and Rory run(literally) into a girl who wishes to escape with them. But the Doctor seems to know her. How? Spoilers for season 6. 11th Doctor X OC. Rated for sexual references and language. Rating changed cause I'm paranoid.
1. Swords, Redheads, and Handbots, oh my!

_Rory_

Then they rounded the corner, and Rory bumped into someone with red hair. And it wasn't his wife. Either of his wives. It was a girl with red hair so blindingly bright that it didn't seem real, and green cat eyes that flashed. Eyes that were presently narrowed in suspicion.

"Where ya goin' boy?" Her voice was hoarse and sharp as a crows' caw, as though she was unused to speaking. He stared. Her eyes slitted and she reached for a knife that was strapped to her forearm. He felt its metal scrape his skin.

"Should I just kill you now?" At that moment, both the Amys came barreling around the corner. Older Amy blinked in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" The girl laughed bitterly and reached for the hilts of two swords that protruded over her shoulders.

"'Bout the same thing as you, girlie; thinkin' about how to slit my wrists." She let out another barking laugh. "And who's this again?" She jerked her chin at Rory. Older Amy smiled. "Rory." Eyebrows raised, the girl looked him up and down. "_The_ Rory?" A snort escaped her throat. "_The _Rory?" The yipping laugh again. "Oh girlie, he's just as cute as you said." She snorted again, weak and rusty, but to Rory it sounded forced, like she couldn't let herself laugh.

"So where're you off to?" Older Amy smiled.

"I'm leaving." The girl's eyes lit up. "Great for you!" Then the light dimmed. "I'm alone again." She whispered, almost to herself. Older Amy stepped forward and touched her arm.

"Come with us." Hope flared in her green eyes.

"Really?" Rory shrugged. Then frowned.

"Why are you here?" Her eyes went dull as chips of stone. Then, in an oddly detached tone, she started to talk. And talk.

"I came here by accident, a long, long time ago. I was traveling with my friends, and then we got separated. And I've been here ever since. It's hell." Rory gulped.

"How long exactly?" She sighed.

"Two hundred years, and I've not found a way out." He frowned. "You look about seventeen." She laughed. "Honey, I'm part of an immortal species. You think that when we evolved we would be a disaster of wrinkles when we died? I have an accelerated blood flow and cells that replace themselves automatically instead of breaking down. I'm a machine, plain and simple." Pain, centuries old crossed her features, and she rubbed a scar that slanted across her wrist to wrap around her forearm. Then her expression brightened.

"Handbots behind you!" She cried cheerfully, before racing at full tilt down the corridor. Rory twisted, and there were indeed more handbots behind them, walking forward at a slow, but steady pace. Both Amys came running after her, and Rory really had no choice but to follow. Handbots surrounded them, but the redheaded girl faced them with a smile sharp as glass, and sliced away their heads with her swords. More appeared, but she plowed through them like a bulldozer, destroying them, before skidding into the gallery.

As Rory entered the gallery, he bumped into her, again. She was staring at the TARDIS, face pale. She twisted to glance at him, eyes wide. Her pupils were dilated beyond belief, and her eyes were nearly pure black, the glassy color of an oil slick.

"_That's _your way out of here?" She spit. "_Him!?_" Rory frowned.

"If by him, you mean the Doctor, then yes, him." She bit her lip furiously. "Why, what's wrong with the Doctor? Do you know him?" Sadness pooled in her eyes, then anger. She held out her hands in front of her, then crossed them over her chest.

"We go way, way back, he and I. Way, way back. And our history is complicated and fucked up." Rory winced at the profanity, but she was so lost in memory that she hardly seemed to notice. Her gaze rested on something far off in the distance or maybe, he thought, in the past. "I never thought I'd see him again. Actually, I never thought I'd see anyone again. I figured I'd die here, and no one would ever know. I'd die alone, and my friends would never figure out what happened to me." The planes of her face shifted, and for a moment something ancient and-_emotional_ was visible. And in a moment, it was gone. And then she chopped the head off another handbot, and her face was cold and sharp and guarded again, and he wondered if he had even seen it at all. Behind him, Amy twisted and swung _her _sword. In front of him, the girl they had run into whooped a battle cry. It struck him that he didn't know her name. Well, there was no time to ask her. They were on the run for their lives.

And then one of the handbots touched younger Amy's skin. And she crumpled like a rag doll. The girl from the hallway winced.

"That's bad."

Rory grabbed the painting from the wall that he had seen earlier and hit the handbot with all his strength. Sparks flew, and it collapsed. He knelt and swept Amy into his arms. Together, he and hallway girl raced for the TARDIS, older Amy close behind. He rounded on the TARDIS, and kicked it open frantically, before setting Amy down on the floor, hallway girl hovering anxiously in the doorway, swinging her swords anxiously. The Doctor wrenched his jacket off and draped it over Amy, pressing his fingers against her neck.

"It's just an anesthetic; she'll be fine." Rory sighed in relief, as the Doctor rushed away, towards the doorway, which hallway girl had recently vacated for the wall.

"I'm sorry." He said shortly, and slammed the TARDIS' door. Rory looked up sharply.

"What are you doing?"

"I lied to her Rory. There can never be two Amys in the TARDIS; the paradox would be two massive." Regret crossed the Doctor's features. Outside, they could hear older Amy pounding and shouting. The Doctor still hadn't noticed hallway girl, who was watching the exchange in the way one might watch a vaguely exciting tennis match.

"You can't just leave her. She'll die." Amy pounded again.

"No, she'll never have existed." He paused. "When we save our Amy this future won't have happened."

"She happened! She's there!" He stepped forward.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Amy cried, a panicking note entering her voice.

The Doctor frantically shook his head. "She's not real."

"She is real. Let her in." Rory growled.

"No. We take this Amy, we leave ours. There can only be one in the TARDIS. Which one do you want?" The Doctor cried. For a moment there was silence, except for Amy's frenzied pounding. It almost made it seem like the TARDIS had a heartbeat, a pulse. The Doctor fastened Rory's fingers around the doorknob. "It's your choice."

"This isn't fair." He stepped closer. "You're turning me into you."

The Doctor's eyes were sad. "You're choice Rory." Then he walked away, toward the console and the unconscious Amy.

"Doctor!" Amy wailed.

The Doctor started flipping switched on the console. A trembling hand appeared, pressed to the glass on the door.

"Rory." She whispered. "Please." Shakily, he matched his hand with hers. She continued speaking.

"The look on your face when you carried her. Me. Her. You carried her away. You used to look at me like that. I've forgotten how much you loved me. I've forgotten how much I loved being her." Rory swallowed. It felt like knives in his throat.

"Amy Pond in the TARDIS. With Rory Williams." Tears welled in his eyes and he shuddered, turning toward the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this." He sobbed softly, and then he started to turn the knob. Amy's voice came quick and sharp from the other side of the glass.

"If you love me, don't let me in." She sniffed. "Open that door, I will. I'll come in. I don't want to die. I won't bow out bravely, I'll be screaming, fighting. To the end." Rory slid his face against the door.

"Amy," He moaned. "Amy I love you."

"I love you too." She sighed back. "Don't let me in." He could practically picture her, her hair falling down the sides of her face, green eyes bright with tears. "Tell Amy, _your_ Amy: I'm giving her the days. The days with you. The days to come."

"I'm so so sorry." Rory groaned.

"The days I can't have. Take them please." He swallowed again, and the tears trickled down his cheeks. Then he let go. They heard sounds of handbots outside, and knew that Amy didn't have much time left. And then they heard a soft thud. And Rory cried. And finally, the Doctor noticed their visitor, who was trying to make herself as small as possible. He frowned.

"Who are you?" She sighed, and twisted towards them. The Doctor stepped back, startled.

"Yeah Doctor." Hallway girl smiled, biting and dangerous. "Long time, no see." The Doctor looked as though he'd just been smacked in the face. He staggered to his chair, which he slumped into. Then he lifted his eyes to hers.

"Yes," He whispered. "It's been a long time, Fire." The girl's eyes flared, startlingly green, and then red, vivid as her hair, shocking against her pale skin.


	2. Tension and Memories

_The Doctor_

_Fire._ He hadn't seen her in years, but he knew it was her. She was different than he'd last seen her, of course. She was tall and redheaded, skinny, and pale. Last he'd seen her, she had been lanky and willowy, with tanned skin and long, wheat-blond hair. And she hadn't had that scar, or that haunted, frightened look. She'd had the same eyes though. He knew that, throughout all her regenerations, she always kept the eyes. He wasn't sure how. Across the console, she stared at him. Rory, kneeling next to Amy, was staring at Fire like she'd just turned into a Dalek. The Doctor opened his mouth, throat suddenly dry as sandpaper. But before he could speak, Fire cut him off.

"I don't want to talk to you, Doctor. I've had hundreds of years to think about you. And what you did. Especially here." She smiled, but it was bitter, strained. "And it's been too long since I've seen you. Ergo, if you were to apologize, I am unable to except it." He sighed. She stared at him fiercely, jaw tight, hands on the hilts of her swords. She thought that he was going to attack her. The thought horrified him.

"Fire, I just wanted to say that you should've realized I wouldn't always be around to protect you." Her head whipped around, and she gazed at him, emotions shifting through her eyes like a kaleidoscope. That was the thing about Fire; she didn't let her feelings show in her face or body language, but they bubbled within her eyes. Although, he knew that she never, _ever_ let herself cry. When she spoke again, her voice was low and deadly.

"I don't need _anyone_ to protect me. And don't throw my own words back at me." The tension in the room was so palpable you could've cut it with a spoon. And Fire, who never cried, looked about to burst into tears. On the floor, Amy stirred, and Rory gripped her hand. They weren't looking at Fire, but the Doctor knew that if she cried in front of them, she would never forgive herself.

He did the only thing he could. He tried to reach her. He touched Fire.

She snatched her arm back as though he'd burned her, though in reality, he was the one who should've been burned. She was, after all, named Fire, with good reason. She backed away, and he realized that he'd reached for one wrist in particular. Memories shimmered between them like fog.

**火 火 火**

_He was four years old, short and fair haired. He was running down a hallway. An older boy stuck out his foot and tripped him. He went sprawling. The boy laughed. _

"_Freak!" He pushed himself to his knees, hands stinging. The older boy kicked his leg, than shoulder. He cried out as pain the other boy stomped on his arm. _

"_Hey!" A shout rang down the hallway, echoing and bouncing off the walls. He looked up. A girl was standing there. A little thing, tiny and dark. Except for her eyes. They were the darkest green he had ever seen, and slanted, like a cats'. They were presently narrowed, and she marched up to the bigger boy. _

"_Leave him alone." She snarled. The big boy laughed. _

"_Bite me, freak." Then there was a blur of motion, and the boy jumped back, clutching his hand, and howling. He looked. There was a small crescent-shaped line of tooth marks arching across the big boy's hand. "She bit me!" The girl was wiping her mouth on her sleeve. _

"_You asked me to." The other boy dove for her, but there was a crackling noise, and then she had long, sharp incisors that went down to dimple her chin. The boys took one look and ran, their footsteps receding into the distance. The girl turned toward him._

_Though her body was that of a small girl, those emerald eyes were ancient, strange, and powerful. Centuries of wisdom surged and pulsated within them, as well as compassion so deep, that you could drown in it. _

"_You okay?" She inquired, cocking her head to the side. He nodded and started to struggle to his feet. Fingers wrapped around his right wrist, and yanked him up casually. _

"_Be careful; I won't always be around to save you." She said softly, but her eyes were laughing. She turned to walk away, but he had to know her name, the name of this girl who had saved him for no other reason than the fact that she was compassionate. _

"_What's your name?" She paused, and then slowly turned around. _

"_Names are powerful things; what's yours?" She pivoted, ready to walk away. _

"_Call me the Doctor." Her eyebrows went up, and a slow smile spread across her face. _

"_Doctor who?" He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "Never mind, it's none of my business." He tried to talk again. _

"_What's your-" She cut him off once more, and started walking down the hall again. _

"_Oh," She tossed over her shoulder. "Call me Fire." _

_What, he wondered, was the reasoning behind her name? Fire? No stranger than his. Perhaps she was like a fire. _

_A fire that would burn your enemies, and at the same time, keep you from freezing. _

_He wondered if that was the case with her. _

_If he got too close, would she burn him?_

**火 火 火**

Fire's eyes went dark, and he knew she was remembering too. On the floor, Amy blinked and stirred. She glanced around.

"Where is she?" Rory laced his fingers through hers.

"She couldn't have come, Amy. It was impossible." Amy sighed and sat up. Rory blinked at Fire and the Doctor, who were both standing next to each other, and the Doctor's hand was hovering over Fire's scarred right wrist. As he noticed Rory staring, he wrenched his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket. Fire slithered back, hissing as she bumped into the wall. Sharply pivoting on her heel, she turned and fled down the corridor, before wrenching open a door and diving in. There was a sharp _smack_ as the door slammed. An uncomfortable silence descended over them.

"So what was that about?" Amy asked. The Doctor grimaced and started flipping random switches on the console, avoiding their eyes. Amy's eyebrows went up, and she stood up, tapping her foot. At some point, he looked up to see both Rory and Amy standing there, watching him with twin expressions of curiosity.

"I used to know her." He muttered under his breath. Amy's left eyebrow rose higher.

"Where did you-" She was interrupted by an enormous yawn. A soft snort escaped the Doctor's throat.

"You should probably get to bed, Pond. You've had a long . . ." He paused, then smirked. ". . . Thirty-six years. Go to bed Pond." Amy rolled her eyes and stepped down towards the hallway, Rory close behind.

"Goodnight, Doctor." She said softly, before entering their room with Rory. He heard the door slam, and all was quiet in the TARDIS. The Doctor absently fiddled with buttons and knobs, before deciding that he wasn't going to gain anything by doing this. He made the decision to sleep. He didn't have a room, but he settled down on the couch next to the console. Eventually, he slipped into a shallow, wakeful sleep. And through that sleep, memories swirled up from the depths of his subconscious, memories he'd tried hard to hide. And all involved Fire.

**火 火 火**

_They were ten perhaps. At least, he was. He knew she was older. And she looked different. Fire went through regenerations like changes of clothing. Now, she was corpse-pale with long black hair that made her look even paler. They were sitting in a clearing in the woods. Fire had found it, and she had shown it to him a while back. Now it was their place, their retreat. _

"_So," He asked. "What's going on?" She sighed. _

"_If there was anything interesting going on, Doctor, I would've told you." She lay back in the grass. He tried not to eye the way her shirt rode up when she did so. "Had a fight with Ana and Vick yesterday." Almost unconsciously, her hands wandered to her right wrist. _

"_Oh that stinks." He said softly. He had been fighting curiosity on two things: her name, and what had happened to her real parents. The name thing he managed to keep in check, because after all, he had never told her his name either. He was still wrestling with the parent thing, and he was unable to hold back. The question burst from his lips. "What happened to your parents?" She went still. He waited. Then, there was a blur of motion, and Fire was standing up. _

"_Do you hate me?" She snapped. "I don't want to talk about it! You're not my friend anymore. Screw you!" She screeched, before sprinting into the woods. He waited twenty minutes before following her. He found her curled at the roots of a massive tree that arched up far into the sky. She had her face buried in her hands, and leaves were tangled in her long hair. He knelt next to her. _

"_Fire I'm sorry." He said softly. Green eyes flashed out from under her bangs and she sighed softly. _

"_It's okay." Leaning closer, he caught the warm scent of cinnamon that hovered around her like a cloud. "I shouldn't have snapped; I just don't like to talk about it." _

"_No, I shouldn't have asked." Grinning, he settled down next to her. _

"_I think there are a lot of things that the two of us shouldn't have done." Air hissed out of her lungs and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He tried not to breathe. That was the day he learned not to ask Fire about her life. _

_After all, everyone has secrets. _

_Some are more dramatic than others._

_But we never want to share any of them._

**火 火 火**


	3. I Can't Forgive You

**Hi! Amber here. Sorry it took a while. Major case of writer's block. I tried not to use 'softly' so many times. And no Shevil, I am **_**not**_** a pyromaniac. **

_The Doctor_

The Doctor snapped awake. He wasn't sure why. And then he heard it. A soft strand of guitar music slithered past him. Guitar. The only person in the TARDIS who knew how to play guitar was Fire. Ah, Fire. Without hesitation, he stood up and rushed for the corridor, and the door that she had gone into. He knocked. Another _twang_ of guitar rang through the air. He knocked again. The music stopped.

"Fire it's me." Silence, and then locks slid on the other side of the door. It swung open. Fire stood there, hair wildly disheveled and matted to the side of her face. She clutched her guitar in her hands, fingers hovering over the strings. She was wearing a loose tank top and baggy running shorts. Her nostrils flared when she saw him, and she brought her left hand to the door, like she wanted to slam it in his face.

"What in the fuck do you want?" He ignored her swearing and rested his hip against the door frame.

"Can I come in?" Her knuckles whitened on the neck of her guitar, but she released the door and allowed him to step into her room. Her room always made him a little sad. Its walls were painted with very alive-looking green trees, and alien creatures peeked out from their branches. The smell of pine needles hung in the air, mixed with cinnamon. The stairs to her loft and her loft itself were carved to look like a giant tree, which was painful because he recognized it. It was the tree in the clearing. The tree that had been witness to so many things. Her ceiling was dark blue, with two moons painted on it, and glow-in-the-dark stars pasted in random constellations all around it. But it was her fourth wall that hurt the most. It was a painting of a huge lineup of TARDISs, stretching far off into the distance, in front of a city that he recognized as a part of Gallifrey. It made his hearts ache with longing. He didn't know how she could stand to be around it. It made his insides shrink with pain.

Fire glared at him to convey her irritation, before climbing onto the couch that rested in the corner. She shot him an evil look as he did the same.

"Fire, do you remember when I-" The look she gave him would have scared one of the Silence.

"I remember a lot of things and I'm not sure which one you're going to ask me about, but I don't think I want to answer either way." He closed his mouth. Opened it.

"Do you remember the first time we kissed?" Fury lit her gaze, and something akin to sorrow. He knew she remembered.

**火 火 火**

_Fire had always dabbled into human holidays, and other human things. One day, he met her, and she was wearing a hooded robe that reached her ankles. He raised an eyebrow. The hood obscured her face, but he knew she was grinning. _

"_It's for a human holiday; Halloween." She said in a low, smoky voice and stepped close. Her eyes flashed brilliant green beneath the hood. _

"_And what does this _Halloween _entail?" She jumped back, laughter spilling from her throat in silvery peals that hung in the air around them and brightened everything.  
"People dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for candy." A brown curl slithered out from under her hood and rested on the edge of it. She swept it away furiously. He cocked his head to one side. _

"_And what are you dressed up as?" She laughed again, throatily. _

"_I'm a Headless Monk." He raised an eyebrow and reached up, brushing the edges of her hood. _

"_May I look _under_ your hood?" She shook her head mischievously, eyes sparkling. _

"_The penalty for looking under a Headless Monks hood is death." He heard the smile in her voice. "But I want, oh, I want a kiss." She said softly, stepping closer. He blinked, and in one smooth motion, wrenched the hood off her head. She smirked coyly, and tossed her curly hair. _

"_Kiss." She patted her cheek and leaned forward. Quite by accident, he was leaning forward too, and then, instead of his lips landing on her cheek, they ended up pressed against her lips. She stiffened at first, and then wrapped her arms around him. She tasted of mint and moonlight and strange, strange things. Far-off stars and distant planets and diamond dust. They were both breathing hard when she pulled away. She twisted, winked, and strode away. _

"_Our stories will cross again in a long while or a short time." She turned slightly. "Depends on how you look at it." She was swallowed by the night. He stood for a long, long, time, turning the words over and over in his mind. What could she mean? _

**火 火 火**

Unconsciously, he leaned forward, and lightly brushed his lips against hers. She sat stock-still, not moving a muscle. He pulled back, scrutinizing her face.

"Why did that feel like we're saying goodbye?" Her expression was unreadable.

"Because we are." She stood up at that moment , face carefully guarded. "Goodbye Doctor." She propelled him to the door and shoved him out. The door slammed behind him. He ran a hand over his hair and sighed. She was impossible.  
"Oh, and F.Y.I., do you want to stop badgering me about whether I can remember things. I can't forgive you." She slammed the door so hard that the wall shuddered. The Doctor spent about ten minutes staring at her door. After about five minutes, loud human rock music blared, so deafening that it vibrated within his bones. She clearly knew that he was still standing there. The music turned up a notch. He heaved a sigh and walked toward the console. He flipped random switches, not really paying attention to which ones. The TARDIS gave a heaving shudder. There was the achingly familiar sound, and then there was the stillness that meant they'd landed. Needing a distraction, he rushed to the door and yanked it open. And, staring out, he found himself tongue-tied. Shocked. He couldn't breathe. In front of him, there was an expanse of glowing trees and plants, radiant against a night sky that was dark green, with five moons at regular intervals. As he watched, the brush came alive with small creatures, eyes glowing silver. A tall, golden-skinned being stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes chips of blue ice. When she saw him, she extended an elegant hand.

"Doctor." She smiled. "Thank the gods you have come." He felt a faint sense of alarm, though he wasn't sure why.

"Why?" He inquired. She smiled again, revealing needle-like teeth.

"Because you are the one who will save us."


	4. Eternity of Sorrow

**Warning: this chapter contains a mild sex scene and some disturbing themes. Rated M. You have been warned. Shevil, this one's for you. **

_The Doctor_

The Doctor frowned. There was something wrong with this situation. "Who told you that?" The alien girl smiled again.

"A warrior. A long, long time ago." He nodded as though he was paying attention, but inside, his mind was racing. Tongue feeling as if it no longer belonged to him, he spoke.

"And who was this warrior?" The alien girl shrugged.

"A woman. I do not remember her name. She said something about fire when we asked her." Irritation flickered, like a failing light bulb. "It does not matter. Doctor you must come." She darted forward and tugged his hand, hard. He resisted. Rage appeared on her face then, and snarled, her extensive teeth growing longer and longer, past her jaw. "Come!" She growled, the melodious softness gone from her voice.

"Doctor?" The door of the TARDIS swung open to reveal Amy and Rory, confused looks on their faces. Behind them, Fire stood, a warning in her green eyes. He twisted to answer them.

"It's all right. We just have a little thing to do." Pain exploded in the back of his head, and lights blazed behind his eyes like dying stars. Blackness rolled over him then, like a cresting wave, and he was lost to the darkness. As he crumpled, his eyes picked out a moon, far above their heads, an impartial witness whose game was to stand and stare, but never do anything.

**火 火 火**

"_Catch me if you can." Fire grinned down at him from a tree branch. Her eyes were alight with happiness. He chortled and rested his hip against the tree. _

"_You know, I'd rather not." Fire rolled her eyes and scrabbled down. She kissed his cheek. "Meet me later?" Without waiting for an answer, she sauntered off. That was Fire. Confident in his love of her. Of course, he was confident in her love of him, too. _

_Hours later, they lay in the field. _

_He had never been much for drinking, but somehow, this was different. _

_Their hearts thudded a rampant timpani. _

_They danced around the clearing, their fevered breath filling the silence with music in its own right. _

_Ahead, she twirled to the frantic blood beat that thudded through both of their veins. _

_He laughed, and far above them, faint and exotic music drifted from the stars. _

_Or maybe that was the alcohol. _

_Laughter filled the clearing. _

_She started to spin. _

_So did he. _

_The stars started to spin around him. _

_He was most certainly drunk. _

_She pressed toward him, grinding her body on his. _

_It was so _normal_ when he peeled of her clothes and his. _

_They lay together, limbs twining like a pair of vines on a wall. _

_He ran his hands down her body, learning her, as though he could read her like Braille writing. _

_When he pushed inside her, her body jerked, and she twisted her head sharply, but he could still see the tear that dribbled down her cheek. _

_He pretended not to notice. _

_After all, in this body, she was a virgin. _

_Then again, so was he. _

_After, they lay knotted together on the green canvas of the field, limbs so tangled that you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. _

"_I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Fire hissed. And then she whispered a word that contained the very core of her being, a word that could bring the universe to its knees. _

_In return, he whispered his name in her ear, and her eyes brightened. She said it again, followed by her name, and repeated it over and over until its edges melted and it sounded unlike a name. _

_He tugged her closer and stared up at the stars, remembering what he had thought when he met her. Would she burn him if he got too close? _

**火 火 火**

The Doctor came awake in bits and pieces. First he saw a stone wall. Then he saw a dirt floor. After that, a pair of boots. He opened his eyes slightly. The boots were attached to a pair of legs, then a torso, and eventually a head of flaming red hair. She was watching him silently, eyes glittering in the dim light like chips of emerald.

"Don't tell me; I ate too many Jammie Dodgers and passed out and now I'm experiencing a sugar-induced hallucination on the floor of the TARDIS." Fire's lip lifted in what on any other person would have been a snort.

"Wouldn't that be great?" A sigh made the hair lift off of her face and flutter down gently. He attempted to sit up, shortly before realizing his hands were tied behind his back, bound with tight cords that bit into his wrists if he pulled too hard. Wincing, he heaved himself to his knees. Fire watched him, expression impassive. Her eyes fell to the red lines on his arms, and she sighed, crawling across the dirt, so the tips of her fingers brushed his. He stared at her hand in his, remembering the last time. She watched him through slitted eyes, but made no comment as he tightened his grip, pressing his thumb into her palm.

"You know what you do?" He frowned.

"Pardon?"

She gave an impatient snort. "I mean do you understand what kind of life you have chosen?"

The Doctor sat up slightly. "It's no different than yours."

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes it is; you pick up strays and dance around with them until they break, and when they do, you find more. Me, I just keep my head down and slink through the shadows of human history."

His voice softened. "Aren't you lonely?"

A strange emotion rose up in her eyes. It was quickly replaced by first suspicion and then anger. "Why do you care?" He opened his mouth, but she beat him to the punch. "You had the opportunity to care, and you didn't take it. You can't just start now."

He increased his grip on her hand. "If you'll recall, it wasn't that I didn't choose to take it; it was that you didn't want me to."

Fire looked affronted for a second, but she dropped her gaze to their hands, intertwined and coated with dust. In a voice softer than sand falling, she whispered. "Doctor, do you ever wonder what will happen to us?" He must have looked puzzled, because she clarified. "I mean do you wonder how our lives will end. If we get out of this, I'll go off on my own, and you'll continue with your companions. But in many hundreds of millennia, you will have used up your regenerations and I will no longer have any interest in living. My question is this: what then? Will you run into something that crushes you like a bug? Will I find I have no reason to keep on living, and find a way to kill myself?" She looked at him, a peculiar expression on her face.

"Fire . . ." Something compelled him, and he looked at her, deep into the jade depths of her eyes. "If I had a choice, I'd want to spend eternity with you." Her mouth tightened.

"The problem is, Doctor, that's it's not an eternity; that's what I'm saying. We all gotta kick the bucket someday. Granted, some of us later rather than sooner, but still." There was a long pause. The silence stretched between them, stark and frustrating.

"I guess we all have to square with mortality." He sighed softly.

"Our lives are eternities; eternities of sorrow." Was her quiet response. Flexing her muscles, she released his hand and raised herself to her knees, where she hunched over, like a comma, a crescent moon, someone being slowly crushed by the weight of the world, resting on shoulders that appeared to be steel, but were in reality as fragile as glass. Someone had to save Fire, and logically the Doctor knew that he was the only person who could. The problem was, he was sure Fire didn't want to be saved. She'd run herself into the ground before admitting that she needed help. But then, so would he. With this in mind, he dragged himself forward until his lips met Fire's. Her eyes flew wide, sudden shock spreading through like ink.

"Are you crazy?" She muttered into his mouth, but she didn't push him away, instead she curled against him, like a flower towards the sun. He leaned forward even more, crushing her lips against her teeth. Even though these were different bodies, different times, she still tasted the same. Abruptly, she pulled away and studied him, emerald eyes into olive green. "Don't do this to me, Doctor."

"Do what?"

"Send me to the same battle twice." There was more silence, aching and raw.

In that space of time, the Doctor felt every emotion he'd ever felt for Fire roll up inside of him, like a crashing wave. She looked as though she were thinking about this as they peeled apart, leaned against the stone walls.

"Where are Amy and Rory?" He asked finally.

She looked suspicious, but she answered eventually. "After they knocked you out, I was going to fight, but they said they'd kill you, so I didn't. They tied us up, blindfolded me, and we were separated."

"Ahh."

"If we do get out of this, I want you to take me to my TARDIS." She sighed. He didn't say anything in response.

"Do you remember Gallifrey?" She said finally. And oh, but he did. He remembered days of running sweat-streaked through red grass. "Because I remember." She whispered. "Two suns rose in a burning sky. Silver trees glowing in the light of fiery Gallifreyan summers. Fire and glass cities. Ah, Gallifrey." Unexpectedly, tears glistened in her eyes and foamed down her cheeks. "Doctor," She gasped, and suddenly her grip was viselike on the Doctor's arm. "I miss Gallifrey more than you will ever, ever know." She was weeping now, and reached forward to hug him as best she could, the chains on her wrists clanking. Having her so close brought back memories, memories he'd tried very hard to hide. They were swift and unmerciful as they lay waste to his mind . . .


	5. The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Known

**I know. I screwed around with the origin story of the Doctor, but I had to for Fire to end up the way she is now. Please don't hate me. **

"_Where are you taking me?" Fire asked. _

"_Shhhh." He laughed, tugging her forward, and snuck a glance back. She was blindfolded, a crimson strip of cloth wrapped around her eyes. Her wheat-blond hair was braided down her spine, but stray strands of it were lifted by the soft, scalding hot breeze. Waist high red grass brushed his arms, and striped Fire's bare legs with thin, straight scratches. Some of them oozed blood faintly, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. Twisting forward, he stared ahead, mapping the ruby grass with his eyes. They came upon a copse of trees, their leaves glowing silver in the dying sunlight. _

"_Doc_tor._" Fire hissed. He spun in time to see her rubbing her foot, scarlet blood dribbling over her fingers. _

"_Sorry." He muttered, but his eyes were ahead of them, towards the thing he had been dying to show her since the moment he had found it. Smiling, he tugged her forward, plunging the pair of them through a patch of branches, which strafed his skin and hair with their grasping fingers. Fire let out a sound of protest, and he turned to find her picking silver leaves out of her hair. _

"_What's with you?" And wasn't that the loaded question. He and Fire had had to keep their distance from one another, due to extenuating circumstances in his life and a nameless fear in hers. _

_He hadn't asked her about her life. _

_She hadn't asked him about his. _

"_Nothing." The expression she sent him was tinged with suspicion and disbelief. "A lot has happened." And wasn't that true? He had gotten Susan out of the Academy. She wanted to leave with him. And that was what he wanted Fire for. _

"_Look!" With a flourish he ripped off her blindfold. Confusion battled with shock as she took in the Type Forty TARDIS resting in the clearing. _

"_Doctor, why?" Fire's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. _

"_I'm leaving." He whispered. Her eyes flew wide, so wide that he saw faint rims of white. But when she finally did say something, her voice was deceptively quiet. _

"_Where?" _

_He shrugged. "Anywhere." He waited for her to speak, and when she didn't, he plowed on. "And I want you to come with me." She looked even more shocked than she had before. "Do you want to come with me?" She looked very sad, and touched his face with a pale hand. _

"_I love you, Doctor, but I don't—I _can't—_leave Gallifrey." She swallowed, and he saw a faint glimpse of the tiny, frightened girl she had once been. "I will someday, but not now." Her hand left his cheek. "And not with you." Touching her lips to her fingers, she backed away, dodging as he reached for her. "Goodbye Theta." The use of that name was like a slap, when it came from Fire. He knew Susan was waiting for him, but he felt as though he was being torn in two. Fire was one of the few people he loved the most, and she was refusing him, blowing him off. _Just like Koschei, w_hispered a little voice. He pushed it away. Koschei had changed. The Master, he was called now. Fire had never met Koschei, or Ushas. Now Ushas was the Rani, Koschei was the Master, and he was the Doctor. Fire was his dirty little secret, and he loved her separately from everyone else. He knew she was called the Wanderer, but he refrained from calling her that just as she refrained from calling him Theta. Those names were relics from lives that both he and Fire had left behind. _

_With this in mind, he reached forward and yanked Fire into his arms. She was sobbing, tears wetting his shoulder and neck. The first time he'd ever seen her cry. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I love you." He realized he was crying, too, and he made an attempt to stop. _

"_I love you too, Fire." And he whispered her real name into her ear. "Goodbye, Wanderer." As he kissed her for the last time, everything seemed to coalesce, every moment in his existence, banding together. And then he pulled away to walk to the TARDIS, and it was gone. _

_As he and Susan flew away, he watched Fire through the scanners as long as he could, and when he no longer could, he pushed her to the back of his mind. _

_For many hundreds of years. _

**火 火 火**

_Shortly after the Time War, he had, with a start, remembered Fire. And soon came the crushing realization that she was dead. It was then when he let himself cry. _

**火 火 火**

_It was his tenth body. He was in London. Alone. He wandered the streets aimlessly, searching. For what, he didn't know.  
Staring off into space, he wasn't looking where he was going. _

_And that was why he bumped into her. _

_Automatically, he reached out to steady her. And then he'd seen her eyes. And he had known that there truly were gods above. She had gone boneless when he'd pulled her into a tight embrace. He knew he was crying. But that was okay, because she was crying too. _


	6. The Ceiling Court

**I'm sure some of you are wondering why I haven't done Fire's POV yet. And I don't plan to for a while. But when I do, it will be epic, I promise you. **

_The Doctor_

Fire's hand shivered away from the Doctor's. They were still kneeling on the dusty floor, and the ache in his legs told him they had been here for quite a while. Fire's eyes were dusky with sorrow and loss and some other emotion he could not fathom. "Wanderer?" He murmured. He hadn't meant it to sound like a question, and he cursed himself for making it so. She jerked sharply at that, but didn't move from her position, which set her face very close to his.

"Theta." She whispered. She, however, did not sound like she was asking. He looked into her eyes.

"Yes," He paused, reached for her hand. "It's me." She stared for a moment, and then gripped his hand so hard that his bones ground and her nails dug in. Flinging her arms around him, she dropped his hand and kissed him full on the mouth. She pulled away for a fraction of a second to stare into his eyes.

"Doctor." Confused, he barely had time to nod before her lips were on his again. She stopped as he made a sound of protest, and her eyes were so wide that he could see his entire reflection. "It's funny, but this whole time I sort of thought this was a dream, that I was still in Two Streams." She put both her hand on his face, chains ringing, and rested her forehead on his. And as she did so, he felt her ancient, powerful mind reaching for his. Struggling between curling in on himself or responding, he dithered for a moment before stretching his mind as well, until it touched hers, millennia worth of heartbreaks and happiness and memories seen through ageless emerald eyes. And then he was drifting . . .

_. . . On a tempestuous sea of bloodred waters, each wave slapping against him and driving him against the prow of the ship that he clutched, as a monstrous head rose out of the waves and he raised his sword . . ._

_. . . On a buffeting tide of air currents that bore him above an emerald forest . . . _

_. . . On a deluge of confusion as he knelt before an altar and prayed to a god that he didn't believe in . . ._

_. . . On a current of anger and fear as people he loved were executed before his eyes, as their blood dried on his face . . ._

_. . . On a surge of horror as he beheld the fallout of his actions, the blood of the innocents he had murdered on his skin, and no matter how many times he bathed afterward, he could still see it . . ._

_. . . On a rush of self-loathing as he ran, ran away to a place where no one would see the monster he had become . . ._

_. . . In a wave of white, everywhere white, as he struggled to survive in a place where it was never night, never day, it just _was, _as he scored tally marks on his arms, painting the white walls crimson . . ._

_. . . Among a crowd of robots with their hands up thrust until, like a beacon, he saw the blue box that contained hope, an escape, past bitterness, his mortal enemy, and his most fond love, all simultaneously . . ._

_Abruptly the memories stopped, and he was left with feelings . . ._

_It was like coming home after a long day. _

_It was like running through a forest barefoot as branches strafed your skin and you knew that you were invincible. _

_It was hearts beating a rampant timpani and your throat aching as salt spilled from your eyes. _

_It was hunger so deep that you couldn't imagine anything else, and when you finally were fed, it was like something was so right that it was wrong. _

_It was loneliness and the aching aloneness that stretched miles and years. _

_It was fear of losing something that you loved so dearly that there was no living without it. _

_It was losing the thing you loved, and numbly realizing that you had to live with this misery, this . . . _missingness _in your chest. _

_It was finding and hoping and dreaming and crying. _

_It was living and dying and fighting and wishing. _

_It was like standing in a crowd, and looking frantically for someone that you were sure would be there. _

_It was like hearing a good song on the radio, and when it was over, abruptly realizing you would probably never find it again. _

_It was pain that tugged at your very soul. _

_It was passion so bottomless that it shook you to your core. _

_It was lust that opened your eyes and made you want to scream. _

_It was love that tore through you, lived under your skin and thrummed through your veins in an aching surge. _

_It was sadness that made you think you were going to run out of tears. _

_It was happiness that made you feel like nothing could ever take you down. _

_It was tears that made you dissolve into a pool of salt. _

_It was laughter that made your face ache and your sides split. _

_It was finding what you had been looking for all these years, an answer to a soul-rending question. _

_It was lips, puffy and half-bruised from charged, furious kisses. _

_It was looking into the eyes of someone who could understand everything you said. _

_And most of all, it was _love_, love that shook the foundations of a world to the bare bones, and transcended time and space. _

"Fire." The Doctor gasped with the fullness of himself. He now knew what she had felt, what she had thought of him, what she had done in her thousands of years of life. Surprising both of them, he kissed her, and they were both crying, tasting of salt and sweetness all at once. And in that moment, they were both so _alive _that emotions swept through the pair of them like a floodgate. They were, in that moment, happy and sad and scared and angry all at once. And most of all, they _loved_. He felt her anger at his leaving her, her horror at what he had done, her rage over the Time War, her grief over her friends' deaths, her happiness over finally being reunited with the one being who she loved the most in the universes. As they held each other, he realized that he had loved Rose, Martha, Jack, Amy, Rory, Donna, and all of his companions before, but Fire, well, Fire he loved more than he had ever loved anyone. Even River. But that was the wrong thing to think. River . . .

The Doctor wondered what River would think of him and Fire. She might be angry. He had never told her of Fire, but that didn't mean that he hadn't told her in the future. He loved River, yes, but it wasn't anything near to what he felt for Fire. And he'd go to the ends of the earth for River. Would she do the same for him? He knew that Fire would without hesitating.

A thunderous crash rang through the air, and a panel of wall slid aside, revealing four tall, armored guards. Wordlessly they rushed over and separated Fire and the Doctor as easily as layers of plywood. Fire struggled very slightly, but somehow they held her easily as though she were a child. He struggled as well, and somehow, his hand slipped through a wall of flesh and armor, to grip Fire's hand, his nails digging into her flesh. She squeezed back.

As they were marched down a long hallway, another group of guards appeared, dragging Amy and Rory. Amy smiled when she saw the Doctor, but Rory looked concerned and strained. "Are you all right?" The Doctor called.

"Fine. You?"

He shrugged. "I could be better, but . . . More or less okay." Amy nodded distractedly and glanced ahead of them.

"Where are they taking us?" This time it was not her who spoke but Rory, biting his lips nervously and looking around.

The Doctor sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"That I highly doubt," Amy muttered. Rory glared at her. The Doctor slid his gaze to Fire. She was obviously in deep thought, brow furrowed in the adorable way that made the Doctor remember how easily his thumb fit within the divot of her forehead. Fire quirked an eyebrow at him. _Doctor, get your mind out of the gutter. _He jerked back as her voice sounded in his head, as cynical and sarcastic as though she were speaking aloud.

_You can hear my thoughts?_

Her response was quick. _I've picked up a few tricks in nine-billion-seventeen years. _

He knew his mouth was open, and Amy was giving him a peculiar expression. _You're _that_ old?_

Her answer was bitingly sardonic. _Gee, you're a charmer. I bet you have to fight the girls off with a stick. _He laughed and smiled with one side of his mouth, but it died quickly as they were brought through a pair of double doors.

_Any ideas?_

Her response came on the heels of a wave of suspicion and worry. _Be careful, and don't do your little . . . Doctor Thing. _

He frowned. _What Doctor thing?_ He then received the mental equivalent of a giggle. _You know exactly what I mean; "Hello, I'm the Doctor, and what you have here is your classic perception filter, put in place after the temporal tipping point of . . . Did I mention I'm a genius? And I'm the Doctor! _

He made a face. _I may have . . . Once or twice. _He paused. _Or three times._ She snorted.

"Stop!" A powerful voice split the air, and their attention was brought to the back wall of the room. A woman sat on a throne, her head held high, golden eyes flashing catlike. Amy and Rory seemed unaffected, but both Fire and the Doctor felt dark sucking energy pulling them, and it was coming from the woman. Fire exchanged a glance with the Doctor and he felt her mind reach for his . . . _Snap! _It took the Doctor a moment to realize that the snap had not been an actual sound. He watched in horror as Fire clutched at her temples and crumpled to her knees on the floor. Amy and Rory let out simultaneous cries of alarm. The woman on the throne stood and stalked across the floor. "If you must speak, you will speak out loud. Or I will kill her." This directed at Fire, who lay gasping on the floor, fingertips pressed to the sides of her head. Shakily, Fire nodded and uncurled herself with a pained whimper, one he knew that she tried to quell.

"What do you want?" The Doctor's voice was loud in the silence, and he kept one eye on Fire as she rose, trembling and pale, swaying slightly. The woman stared at him coldly, and he had to work to keep back the instinct that made him want to run and hide.

"You." She turned on her heel and returned to her throne. Fire exchanged a glance with the Doctor and staggered drunkenly, wobbling toward him. She stumbled, nearly falling, and steadied herself. He was relieved to see that she still had her sword, although he knew that the guards would probably attack as soon as they saw her reach for it. But he was willing to bet that she was a quicker draw than them. And he was certain she could hold her own, despite the fact that she was weakened and outnumbered. He caught her eye and she nodded slightly, touched the hilt of her sword in the guise of straightening her shirt.

"What do you want me for?" The Doctor marched forward and strode through the center of the room.

"We need a Time Lord." He froze, but she continued speaking. Meanwhile, Fire crept closer to Amy and Rory, her shakiness disappearing, her joints flowing smooth as though oiled. "We shall cut out your hearts and devour them, and our world will be renewed." The Doctor shuddered inwardly.

"And what if I refuse?" The woman on the throne smiled, revealing sharp teeth.

"We will force you, of course." Her gaze turned to Fire.

"And another."

"More than one Time Lord! And the females are ever so more delicious," Came a male voice. A tall man with green skin stepped out from behind the throne, his gaze running up and down Fire's body. Leering at her, he licked his lips. The Doctor glanced at Fire and nodded.

And she moved.

Within seconds, the guards were dead, and Fire stood in the middle of the room, red, red blood running down the blade of her sword. Amy and Rory had plucked up some weapons from the dead guards, and they stood back to back in defensive positions. The Doctor smiled.

"You see; we're just not that easy to kill."

The woman on the throne rose, an eerie sneer spreading across her face. "People do not disobey the Seelie Court and survive."

"No, _we _disobey the Ceiling Court and survive."

Fire laughed. "I believe it's the _Seelie _Court."

He was about to respond, when the woman leapt from the throne and landed close to Fire, so hard that the floor split down the center.

"Doctor!" Amy cried, just as something sharp and cold slid into his shoulder. As the world went fuzzy, he just caught the sight of Fire and the woman facing off, like two lonely goddesses locked into an endless battle.

**火 火 火**

"_What do you want to do?" Fire laughed as he grabbed her hands and spun her in a circle, ignoring the strange looks they received from the people passing by. "We can go anywhere. Somewhere romantic, somewhere adventurous, somewhere . . . Anywhere you want!" She smiled, eyes nearly slitted from happiness, blond hair flowing in a wave down her back. _

"_There's this song that I like." The Doctor frowned. "It's called _Sovereign Light Café_, and it's written about this café in Ninfield and, well, I've always wanted to go there." Bowing slightly, he offered her his forearm. _

"_Shall we?" Returning his grin, she grabbed his elbow. _

"_We shall." And together they marched off into the city. _

I'm going back to the time when we owned this town  
Down Powder Mill Lane and the battlegrounds  
We were friends and lovers and clueless clowns  
I didn't know I was finding out how I'd be torn from you  
When we talked about things we were gonna do  
We were wide eyed dreamers and wiser too

_They ran together down Powder Mill Lane, laughing and singing, Fire lifting her voice to exaggerated proportions, extremely high and extremely low, to the delight of the Doctor. Fire gazed at the battlegrounds, and the Doctor was sobered only slightly by a particular part of the song: _I didn't know I was finding out how I'd be torn from you. _People around them smiled, and he knew that they saw him and Fire as happy young lovers, not the ageless beings that they were. But it didn't matter, for tonight, he and Fire could be whatever they wanted to be. _

We'd go down to the rides on east parade  
By the lights of the palace arcade  
And watch night coming down  
On the sovereign light café

_They went to the rides on east parade, the lights of the place arcade reflecting in Fire's eyes, and when he mentioned how incredibly cheesy this was, following the song, Fire shook her head and laughed, saying that what was cheesy when you could hold the moon in the palm of your hand? And she stretched her hand out to the sky, so it did indeed look like the moon rested against her skin. They went to the Sovereign Light Café, and they drank coffee by the seaside, watching the sun set. _

I'm begging you for some sign  
But you still got nothing to say  
Don't turn your back on me, don't walk away  
I'm a better man now than I was that day

_Around them, the people stared in wonder at Fire, who was especially lovely as she laughed. And he was hers, and she was his. _

Let's go down to the rides on east parade  
By the lights of the palace arcade  
And watch night coming down  
On the sovereign light cafe  
Let's go down to the bandstand on the pier  
Watch the drunks and the lovers appear  
To take turns just the stars  
And the sovereign light café

_They listened to the band play sweet, and they danced, not caring that they were the only ones. They only had each other, and they wouldn't have each other for long. In fact, the Doctor barely even thought about Rose. Barely. _

_They did see some drunks, but they were the only lovers there. Together they sat on the stone wall by the sea, watching the moon swim across the water, counting the stars and pointing out different constellations. _

I wheel my bike off the train,  
Up the north trade road  
And look for you on Marley lane  
In every building and every street sign  
Oh why did we ever go so far from home?

"_Why did we leave?" He asked later, when she curled against his chest, her head resting just between his hearts. _

"_I don't know, Doctor." She whispered, when in fact she did now, resting her chin against his collarbone. "I don't know, Theta." _

Well you've got nothing to hide,  
you can't change who you really are  
You can get a big house and a faster car  
You can run away boy but you won't go far

"_We stay the same through all of this, don't we?" He murmured. "Even when our faces change, we don't change at all." _

_Fire was quiet so long that he thought she had fallen asleep, and when she did speak, her voice was full of emotion. "No, we don't change." She lifted her head, and her face was round and full as the moon, a comet of a tear streaking down her cheek. "Really, we're the same kids who lay in the red grass of Gallifrey, whispering promises to each other." _

Let's go down to the rides on east parade  
By the lights of the palace arcade  
And watch night coming down  
On the sovereign light cafe  
Let's go down to the bandstand on the pier  
Watch the drunks and the lovers appear  
To take turns just the stars  
And the sovereign light café

_They stayed, eyes catching the light of the stars. _

Yeah I'm going where the people know my name

_Fire was the only one who knew his name. _

_They stayed there until everyone had left, and then they went back to the TARDIS and fell asleep in Fire's bedroom. And he had practically never been happier. _

_But when he woke the next morning, Fire was gone. _

**火 火 火**

**Disclaimer: The song **_**Sovereign Light Café**_** belongs to Keane. And Doctor who is not mine. If it was, Jack would never leave. **

**And F.Y.I., I know how mushy the end of this chapter is. And I like it. **


	7. Her Body On His

_The Doctor_

"Fire." The murmur slipped between the Doctor's lips before he was aware of it, and he sighed, not bothering to open his eyes. He was lying on the floor of the TARDIS, which was cool against his cheek. Someone's fingers were tangled in his hair, and almost unconsciously, he reached up, grabbing the hand and pulling it against his mouth.

"Fire." He glanced upward—to meet the startled eyes of Amy. Quickly, he dropped her hand, embarrassed, and gingerly sat up. Rory was bending over him, fingertips on his neck, feeling his pulse, and Amy was kneeling next to him. As he struggled to stand, she gripped his forearm firmly and helped him up, tightening her grasp as he swayed slightly. Movement flickered in his peripheral vision and Fire appeared, green eyes narrowing as she took notice of him, before she ducked back around the console and fiddled with switches.

He was sure that he looked bad, but Fire looked terrible. Her hair was dull with dust and plastered to her skull, by sweat or rain he could not tell. Her swords were still in their back sheaths, and their hilts were smeared with crimson blood. Now that he was thinking about it, he could make out dark stains at the knees and elbows of her clothing, and a long scarlet streak up her leg, starting at her toe.

Amiably, he wondered how it was that he could now not stand violence, but he was still in love with a woman whose very essence was ferocity. Truly, the name Fire was appropriate. She had rage in her blood and fury in her hearts. Always had, even on Gallifrey. Then again, he carried anger with him as well, although it was not woven into the fabric of his DNA. She hadn't always been so ready to kill, though. In fact, he remembered the very first time she'd come back to him. The first time he'd realized that she always would.

The first time she'd killed.

In seconds, he was swept headfirst into the memory.

**火 火 火**

_The first thing wrong was the blood. He could smell it, heavy and cloying on the air. It was metallic, coppery, and out of place in this glade. Nervous, he stood up. Seconds later, Fire appeared. _

_The blood he had smelled was crusted on her hands, dried stiff and ruby. It was smeared across her cheeks, and it stained her brown tunic rusty. The worst was the fresh blood, still brilliant crimson, a startling cherry against her pale skin and hair. It stained the blades of her knives, hung around her in a rosy haze, and in the morning light it gilded her scarlet, an angel of death ready to wreak destruction. And then it cleared, and she was just an angel fallen from battle. _

_And a broken one, at that. _

_She staggered towards him, her legs seeming to give out, and she crumpled to the grass, the bloodstains coating her making her blend in perfectly. He was in motion before he knew it, and he had her in his arms, frantically trying to discern if any of the blood was hers. _

"_I'm not hurt, Doctor." She pushed him away gently and brushed the hair out of her eyes, smearing the blood on her cheeks. Stiffening suddenly, she glanced at the blood on her hand, and with a horrified sound tried to scrape it off. _

"_Wait a minute Fire, I'll be right back." He sprinted away, leaving her frantically trying to get the blood off, and returned twenty minutes later with a basin of water, a cloth, and a spare tunic. _

_Carefully, he helped her undress, to scrub the blood from her body, her skin. But, try as he might, he could never scrub it from her soul. _

_Hours later, as they lay together, dazed in the afterglow of spent passion, she held a hand in front of her face, turned it over and over, a mystery waiting to be solved. _

"I can still see it," _she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking in half down the middle. "They wouldn't stop screaming." _

_Wordlessly, he pressed his lips to her forehead, and almost angrily she dragged his lips downward, moving his body on hers. _

_This time, their passion was rough, almost furious. When it was over, she pressed her face against his chest and he held her while her body shook with shaking tremors. But when she whispered again, he didn't think she meant for him to hear it. _

"_I'm a monster." _

_He didn't say anything; his tight grip on her shoulder spoke for itself. And so did his other hand, sliding down to rest just over her right heart. _

**火 火 火**

_Doctor . . ._ He glanced up quickly to meet Fire's green eyes, which held the memory as well, roiling seas of blood and two lovers, limbs tangled under the twin suns. She held his gaze for a moment, before returning to her ministrations over the console, revealing a long scratch that ran the length of her cheekbone, oozing a crimson stream over her face. She had won, clearly, but it had also obviously cost her.

Rory made his way over to her, dabbing at the scratch with a damp cloth that was evidently covered with some antiseptic, as Fire winced slightly. Wordlessly, the Doctor took the cloth from Rory and pressed it to Fire's face, ignoring the warning in her eyes. At least she did not go so far as to push him away, but she shifted her body more towards the console than him.

Amy cleared her throat loudly and tugged Rory away, down the hall until he heard their door slam, leaving him alone with Fire. Slowly, he set the cloth down, but kept his hand pressed to her cheek. She did not push him away, instead pushing her face into his palm, like a cat who wishes to be petted.

Soon enough, he found himself leaning down to kiss her. This kiss was different from the ones they had shared in the captivity of the Seelie Court (_more like _Un_seelie, _the Doctor thought). This one was softer, almost delicate in its motions. When he pulled back, Fire was looking at him very hard.

"Where are we going with this?" Her voice was very quiet, and he pretended he was ignorant of the meaning of her words.

"I was hoping we'd get to the point where I was wearing a fez and you my bowtie." Instead of laughing as he'd hoped she would, her eyes narrowed even more.

"You know what I mean, Doctor."

He lowered his voice as well. "I really don't know. Where do you want it to go?" She sighed and reached forward almost unconsciously to run a hand down his chest. He tried his best not to shudder at her touch.

"I don't know either." Still looking into his eyes, she pressed her hand right over the place where his left heart beat. "The things that we did and said on Gallifrey will forever change our relationship. It won't be the same." She rubbed her temples.

"Perhaps we should try and forgive each other, although what we are forgiving each other for is unclear as neither of us really figured it out."

At this she moved away, opening the TARDIS doors and he found himself staring at the quiet of deep space. She stood there, a lonely figure silhouetted by starlight and he was struck by how fragile she looked, as though if you pushed her, she would shatter. She resembled a girl made of glass, brittle and delicate. A glass girl with splotches of red.

There was still blood on her clothes.

"We've come so far," she whispered, almost to herself. "Once upon a time, the universe was huge and wonderful and now we know the truth of it." Her voice was stronger now. "It's hideous, and dark and horrible." Angrily, she turned, face twisted. "What is it all for?" He wasn't sure if she wanted an answer, so he stayed silent. A short blurt of hysterical laughter broke out of her mouth, and furiously, she spun on her heel, shouting into space. _"What is it all for?!" _

Cautiously, he made his way towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was surprised when she reacted by gripping him tightly, almost to the point of pain. He was even more surprised when she smashed their lips together, kissing him with a passion beyond anything he had ever experienced. And soon enough, he responded with equal ferocity, groping a hand along behind her to close the TARDIS doors.

Before he knew it they were in Fire's bedroom, and she was taking off her clothes and wiping away the blood before kissing him, jagged and vicious. Soon enough his clothes were on the floor too and he was running his hands up and down her, struggling to become acquainted with her new form.

How strange it was that after all this time and all these regenerations that his body still knew hers. That when they held each other, they fit together like puzzle pieces. And how strange, that she was the only thing that could fix him, and yet the only thing that could break him apart.

"I suppose it's so that we can understand why life is a gift and yet also a curse."

Fire pressed a finger to his lips. "Doctor."

"Yes?"

"I want to stop thinking." She crawled into his lap, eyes glittering. "Help me to stop thinking."

The Doctor did his best to acquiesce.


	8. Clockwork Heart

**Here it is, folks: Fire's POV. Hope you like it. **

"_Tell me a story," he murmurs, eyes half-lidded. Sleepily, he reaches for me, drawing me into the circle of his arms. And I let him, because tonight I have let every wall between us come crashing down. I think for a long moment, pressing my nose against his skin and smelling the scent of him, starlight and Jammie Dodgers and metal, and another scent that you will not know unless you have traveled in the Time Vortex. The smell of adventure. _

"_What kind of story?" _

_He presses me against him, our bodies lined up perfectly. "Any story," he breathes into my neck. I shiver, crimson hair fluttering down to cover him. His breath is warm on my neck, raising goose bumps. How have I resisted touching him so long? How have I lived without this? For a long moment, I think, and then I begin to talk. _

"_Once upon a time, there was a princess made out of clockwork, and she lived in a clockwork castle. _

"_She didn't precisely live there, though. She was a prisoner. There were two guards who stood outside her castle, night and day, who would never allow her to leave. When she asked why, they told her sharply that the outside world was dangerous, and that it would hurt her badly if she ever left. So she stayed, but she longed for adventure as only the captive do, with an aching heart and fevered mind. _

"_Of course, the castle had its own monsters. One in particular hurt her, all the time, so that she barely noticed anymore, and her mind took her away to many other places. _

"_People stared at her, because they had been told that she was an experiment, that she didn't have feelings, because her heart was made of metal and not flesh. _

"_She believed them when they told her that she didn't have emotions, but when she thought she felt something, she wondered what was wrong with her. And that only made her hunger for adventure even more. _

"_One morning, after a night of fear and pain, she awoke with an aching, empty feeling in her chest. Terrified, she ran to the physician, but he wouldn't take her, so she ran to the mechanic. _

"'_What's wrong with me?' She cried, sprinting into his rooms. He was alarmed at her disheveled state, but he made her lie down on the table and, using pliers, he pried open her chest, before backing away, a thoughtful look on his face. _

"'_I'm afraid you're missing a heart.' Concerned, she glanced down at her chest, but could see her heart, pumping its hot contents through her metal veins. _

"'_What do you mean? I _have _a heart.' _

"'_You were meant to have two.' He gestured, and indeed there was an empty space in her chest, just on the other side. She gasped, and sat up, holding the two halves of her chest closed. _

"'_What do I do?' _

"_His answer left something to be desired. 'You must find it.' With that he returned to his work, leaving her to reassemble her clothing and ponder what he'd said. But deep down, she knew what she had to do. _

"_That night, she dressed herself in dark tunics, black like the night, to blend in with the majesty of the world around her. She wore heavy boots, those of a castle guard, and armor, covering her arms and torso. She snuck out her bedroom window, clambering down the side of the castle. She was terrified, but her arms never shook, her steps never wavered. She was petrified, but she was brave. _

"_Only when she got out did she realize how big the world was, how wide open the spaces were. It was as though she had been living in a jar, and now she was finally out, and she was scared. She traveled, trading faces and names, the more places she went. She looked for her heart, but she could not find it. _

"_There came a time when she became lost, and she went to an old wise woman for help. The woman instructed her to hold out her hands, and then she examined them. _

"'_Someone _has _your heart,' she said softly. _

"'_Has it?' _

"'_Yes. It is someone you will love.' The woman's voice was grave. 'You will search and search, and you will find the one you love, but they will leave. Fortunately, you will find them again.' _

"'_And what of my heart?' _

"'_If you want to keep it, you must stay with the one you love.' _

"'_What if I can't?' _

"'_You will survive, but you will be unable to care for others, unless you return to your love.' _

"'_How will I find my love? And how will I tell they are the right one?' _

"'_You must look, and believe me; you will know when you find them.' The wise woman's face was sad, and she lifted her hand to touch the princess' smooth metal brow. 'Good luck my dear.'_

"_The princess traveled far and wide, searching for her true love. She kissed men, women, anyone who seemed as though they could have her heart. But none of them did. And then she came to a strange land, with two suns and silver trees and blood-red grass. And there she met a boy, who she watched grow into a man. And he had her heart. _

"_But he wanted to leave, and she couldn't. So he left her, and she wondered. Soon enough, she left as well, and she took a lover who cared about her more than anything. But the princess couldn't love her back. _

"'_I'm sorry,' the princess said, cradling her lover, who stared at her with a pale face. 'I want to love you, but I'm missing a heart.' Her lover was crying, but she seemed to understand. _

"'_I will always love you, but I know that you have to leave.' She squeezed the princess' hands. 'Don't forget me?' _

"_Tears dripped down the princess' face. 'I never could.' And so the two parted ways, the princess of clockwork and the woman who could have loved her forever. _

"The wise woman was wrong, _the princess thought. _I _can _love. And I can hurt. But that is it.

"_And so she carried on, until she finally found him. But by then, she had lost too many loves for the heart to make any difference." _

_He is quiet for several minutes. And then, "That's a sad story." _

_I smile a little. "You never asked for a happy one." _

_His voice is soft, wrapped in velvet. "And it's true." _

_My head dips. "Yes." _

"_I have your heart." _

"_You do." _

_His hand is pressed against my chest, between my hearts. "But you are not made of clockwork." _

"_I may as well be." _

_When we make love this time, it is gentle, and he kissed my ear, softly. _

"_You have my heart, too." _

**A/N: Yeah, I know. A little mushy but hey, let me know what you think. **


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